by Ziyang Zhao
First published 2009
Premier Zhao Ziyang sits in his Beijing home, confined by house arrest after his failed attempt to prevent the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989. For sixteen years until his death in 2005, he remains China's most prominent political prisoner, stripped of power for opposing the military crackdown that killed hundreds of students and demonstrators. In complete secrecy, Zhao methodically records his memories and reflections onto audio tapes, creating an intimate journal of his experiences within China's most guarded political circles. He reveals the schemes and betrayals among top leaders, details the brutal decisions behind Tiananmen, and argues for democratic reforms as China's only path to lasting stability. The man who once brought liberal changes to China now speaks from isolation about a nation that embraces economic freedom while rejecting political openness. His clandestine recordings, smuggled out of the country after his death, form a testament to the cost of conscience in authoritarian power.
Genres: 20th-century, political-science, biography-memoir, 21st-century, political-thriller
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: political-intrigue, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Beijing, China
Period: 1989, 2005
336 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster